Loading ...Teodoro A. Casiño (born 15 November, 1968) is a Filipino partylist representative, writer and journalist. He is a member of the House of Representatives for Bayan Muna in the 14th Congress of the Philippines.
Born to middle class parents, Teddy finished elementary education at the De La Salle University (DLSU) in 1982. He continued his high school studies at La Salle Green Hills, where his stint as a volunteer for the National Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL) in the 1986 snap elections swept him into the politics of People Power via the EDSA Revolution. The experience changed him so that since then, his life has been characterized by a conscious choice for the road less traveled.
The EDSA experience, plus the harrowing stories about hunger in Negros, moved Teddy to forego a DLSU scholarship to study agriculture in UP Los Baños, where he became an activist in his freshman year. He became editor in chief of the student paper, The UPLB Perspective, from 1989-1991 even as he consistently made it to the honor roll.
In 1991, Teddy was elected national president of the College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP), an alliance of over 700 student publications nationwide. He chose to delay his thesis requirement to work full time for the CEGP. He eventually graduated from UPLB with the degree of AB Sociology in 1993, with his thesis bringing him to faraway Pamplona town in Cagayan Valley, where he studied the impact of Church activism on rural communities.
After his stint in the student movement, Teddy joined the Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU – May First Movement), where he deepened his commitment to serve the people, especially the working class. His childhood ambition and his father’s wishes for him to become a lawyer gave way to his activism. In 1996, he entered the UP College of Law only to leave it three days later when it interfered with his work in the KMU.
After four years in the KMU, Teddy joined the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN), the largest alliance of progressive people’s organizations in the country. He was elected secretary general in 1999 and was catapulted to national prominence in 2001 as one of the youngest leaders of EDSA 2.
Teddy was appointed commissioner of the EDSA People Power Commission but was removed for constantly being critical of the current administration. He had a short stint in ABS-CBN’s Hoy Gising and The Correspondents. In 2002, he was accorded the UPLB Distinguished Alumni Award for Extension.
Teddy is also an accomplished writer. He was a regular contributor to the Philippine Daily Inquirer’s Youngblood column from 1994-1996. In 1995, he became a regular columnist for Business World, one of the most respected business newspapers in the country. He also wrote columns for the tabloids People’s Bagong Taliba and Frontpage, the OFW weekly Pinoy Gazette and the online magazine Bulatlat.com.
In May 2004, Teddy was elected as Bayan Muna’s representative in Congress, where he, as neophyte legislator, made waves as an advocate of the oppressed and marginalized sectors. With the re-election of Bayan Muna in the 2007 partylist polls, he continues to prove his mettle as a lawmaker.
At the House of Representatives, Teddy helps spearhead the cause of progressive legislation along the lines of good governance, accountability, transparency, strengthening democratic institutions, education reforms, protection of the national patrimony and the environment, and appropriate use of information and communications technology.
Other Information
- Name : Teodoro A. Casiño
- Birthday : November 15, 1968
- Birthplace : Davao City
- Nationality : Filipino
- Political party : Bayan Muna
- Spouse : Ruth Cervantes
- Children : 2
- Schools Attended:
- Elementary education, De La Salle University (1982)
- High school, La Salle Green Hills
- Agriculture, UP Los Baños
- AB Sociology, UP Los Baños (1993)
- Profession : Writer, Journalist
Committees
- Member for the Minority, Constitutional Amendments
- Member for the Minority, Energy
- Member for the Minority, Globalization and WTO
- Member for the Minority, Good Government and Public Accountability
- Member for the Minority, Higher and Technical Education
- Member for the Minority, Information and Communications Technology
- Member for the Minority, Justice
- Member for the Minority, Labor and Employment
- Member for the Minority, Natural Resources
- Member for the Minority, Public Works and Highways
- Member for the Minority, Reforestation
- Member for the Minority, Trade and Industry
- Member for the Minority, Ways and Means
Jonathan Justo Orros
Joseph Estrada